not guaranteed
by lannistersdebt
Summary: Even the Elixir of Life isn't fail-proof. This is set immediately after the Battle of Hogwarts.


His wand had never felt so strange in her hand.

Her own was made of elmwood with a unicorn hair core, but she'd often said that the ebony and dragon heartstring was almost as receptive to her as if she were its owner. Typically, it warmed slightly at her touch and she imagined she could feel it as an extension of herself. Now, when her fingers curled around its base, she felt nothing.

It felt like he was dead.

The click of a door - _his_ door - opening made her jump; she had been left alone for so long that she had nearly forgotten other people were in the hospital. For the last six hours, the nurse had been checking in less and less frequently. There were rules about how often patients were to be looked at, of course, but nearly everyone who had glanced in the room agreed that this was an exception. They weren't sure he was going to pull himself out of the woods, and that was the only reason that they were allowing him to have her constant company. She'd already been given a lecture on what to do should there be any change in his condition, and the nurse (whose name, she believed, was Hazel) had coached her several times on what to do if she couldn't arrive in as timely a fashion as they preferred.

"I do apologize, Mrs. Malfoy," the young woman touched her arm lightly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Please. Just call me Narcissa." Her eyes flicked up to the nurse. "And there's no need to apologize. I was just….thinking."

"I'll call you Narcissa if you'll call me by my name too." Her tone was slightly teasing, but Narcissa barely registered that as she watched her move to Severus's side. Hazel sighed, taking a look at the bandages on his neck. They were soaked through, as they had been every single time she came in. "He hasn't been tossing or anything, has he?"

The blonde shook her head. "No. He hasn't done anything."

Hazel frowned, tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear as she did so, and then grabbed gloves and her wand. With a flick, she set up the materials for the new bandage and then moved closer to the wizard so she could remove the old one. It came away with reluctance, sticky and heavy, and she frowned as she set it down on a tray. The wounds on his neck were gruesome, resembling shredded ribbon in some spots, so she shielded him from the other witch as she had done every time she had come in. One last flick of her wand resulted in the new bandage settling perfectly in place, and after checking everything else on her list – which seemed to take forever to Naricssa – she grabbed the tray and headed toward the door.

Narcissa cleared her throat. "Hazel?"

"Yes?" She paused, her hand on the handle of the door.

"Do you think that-" her voice wavered and she forced herself to start over. "Do you think that he has a chance?"

The silence was all the answer that she needed.

* * *

The day that Severus handed her the vial of the Elixir of Life, she thought he was joking; but this was Severus, and he would hardly joke about something so important. He assured her that it was legitimate, that it would work, but she wasn't so sure. Like the rest of the people in the wizarding world who knew about the Philosopher's Stone, she was under the impression that it was gone. Without the stone, there could be no elixir.

Then again, Dumbledore was known for not necessarily following through on his promises in the manner that one thought he would.

He left Nicolas Flamel and his wife under the impression that he gave them the stone and the small amount of elixir they originally sent with it. He gave the originals to Severus for safe-keeping and delivered a transfigured rock to them. That left Severus with an elixir he never wanted to use, and another secret he never wanted to have. Harry, at age eleven, believed everything he was told by Dumbledore and never doubted that the stone was destroyed. He probably wouldn't believe that it still existed if he were told now, either.

Narcissa's hands trembled, making the vial she was holding shake. He was going to hate her if she gave it to him. He would probably regret ever telling her the truth about the situation, too. And yet, that secret and that elixir may be the only things with a chance at saving his life.

With a deep breath, she moved toward the bed. Just before she reached it, she hesitated for a moment and then her resolve strengthened again. She would do what she had to do.

* * *

Draco was leaving the room when she came back from hurriedly eating a sandwhich, his expression lighter than she had seen it in months. He looked relaxed, more like the son she was used to, and he was smiling. "Mum, thank goodness! I was just about to come looking for you."

"Is…he's not…?" She could feel the concern showing on her face but couldn't bring herself to ask.

"No, he's awake, actually! The nurse has just left. He's asking for you." He pulled her into a hug. "Potter and the whole Ministry are down on the ground floor, requesting my presence. They said something about working out a deal. So. I'm close, if you need me."

"Thank you, Draco." She hugged him back, letting him go so that she could ease toward the door. "I'm sure it will be fine. Let me know."

His shoes clicked on the tile as he walked away from her, and then she was flying into Severus' room. The bed had been adjusted so that he was raised up. Just the sight of him like that, instead of lying flat, was enough to lift her spirits. The look on his face was enough to make her heart explode. When she tried to speak, her voice cracked. "Oh, thank Merlin…"

His mouth twitched. "You have no idea what a disappointment it was to wake up to Draco at my bedside."

"At least he's not terrible to look at." She pulled a chair as close to the bed as she could get it. "I could have sent Potter in here instead."

"Potter?" He frowned for a moment. "He lived?"

"Yes." She nodded. "He and the Dark Lord destroyed a good amount of the school before they got around to squaring off a final time. Potter was impressive, really. He said something about you and Dumbledore planning Dumbledore's death so that you would be the one to kill him. You were supposed to be the wand's master, but Draco disarmed Dumbledore that night. You…you couldn't get there in time, could you?"

She didn't give him a chance to answer. "Potter told him that, but he didn't care. He was so confident, Severus! So confident – and it was all for nothing. I don't know how the wand's allegiance shifted to Potter, but it did. He cast his usual, and the Dark Lord cast the killing curse. The noise was terrible. Somehow, the Elder Wand flipped and the curse rebounded on the Dark Lord, and it was over."

Snape was quiet for a moment. "I wanted to tell you everything."

"That was the only reason you took the Unbreakable Vow, wasn't it? The plan with Dumbledore?" She bit her lip, afraid of his answer.

"No." He cleared his throat. "I did make another one with him – he wanted to be absolutely sure that I would be the one to do it. He didn't care what I did with you so long as I kept Draco from going through with the act. I took the Vow with you because Draco is my godson and because I knew what it would do to you if he failed."

She stood with that, and took his hand. Her hair brushed his shoulders as she bent over him, and his muscles protested as he moved his neck a bit, but a kiss had never felt so good. When they pulled apart and the witch made to return to her chair, Snape grabbed at her wrist and motioned weakly toward the bed. Smiling, she complied.

"I was so scared you'd never wake up." Her eyes drifted to the bandaged section of his neck.

"I was almost afraid to." He kept his hand in hers. "The snake did more damage than necessary, I thought. I was surprised to see Potter there, in the Shrieking Shack. I take it that he got the memories?"

"Yes. He's had to tell the Ministry, obviously… They'll be looking at them to clear you again – but he's asked that they not disclose the contents." She squeezed his hand.

"Shocking. I expected he'd want to use them to extract some sort of revenge." He looked impressed. "Though perhaps he's suddenly outgrown that."

She laughed softly. "Perhaps."

They were silent for a few minutes and then, following some slight pulling on the wizard's behalf, Narcissa scooted up a bit on the bed and swung her legs up. As soon as she was settled against him, their lips met again. He was tired, but not too tired for that, and when they paused to breath he pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. "I love you, Narcissa."

It was the first time he had ever told her.

* * *

She was sitting in the chair again when Draco came in, carrying a tightly rolled piece of parchment. His expression was unreadable, his hair a mess. Her stomach tightened. Bad news about Lucius was bad news she could handle, but that was different concerning her son. "Did they clear you?"

"Yes." His response was short. "Technically. I'm on probation, and then I'll be completely clear."

The relief was plain on her face. "And your father?"

"Azkaban. There will be a full trial for him, but until then, they want him in Azkaban." His eyes flicked toward Severus's form. "And you're cleared of all charges."

"Oh! That's surprising." She frowned again and motioned toward the parchment that he was now crushing in his hand. "You probably shouldn't be destroying those quite yet."

"They're not what you think, Mum." He crossed the room and dropped the report on her lap. It rolled open when it left his hands, and the words at the top almost seemed to mock him. He'd wanted a sibling quite terribly as a child, but his parents had hardly seemed interested in having another baby. Now, with everything else that was going on, it just ticked him off. "It isn't Father's, is it?"

"Draco! What right did you have to look at this? It was supposed to be given to only me – I wasn't sure that I was pregnant, see – so _why_ do you have it?" Her stomach was a knot, a combination of nerves and happiness. What was Severus's reaction going to be? She glanced at the writing, noting the expected due date in November.

"The nurse told me congratulations and handed it to me." His eyes were cold now. "You didn't answer me. Whose is it?"

"Severus." Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

Draco left without another word.

* * *

Despite the elixir, his wounds were too much.

She disapparated as soon as she exited the hospital, arriving at the manor an instant later. It took all she had to make it through the gates and into the garden before she sank to her knees. Raindrops were coming faster and faster, as though they followed her from London, but she could barely feel them. All she could feel besides the pain ripping through her was the comfort she had felt stretched out alongside him, his hand draped over her stomach protectively, as if he had known all along.

She never said goodbye.

* * *

 _ **a/n;**_

This was written for Round 7 of the Harry Potter Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.  
I write as Beater 1 for the Montrose Magpies.  
The overall round prompt was potions.  
My particular potion was the Elixir of Life.  
My prompts were;  
\- 2 (word); raindrops  
\- 8 (word); revenge  
\- 15 (word count); 2,000

Many thanks to Firefly and Raybe, who at least pretend to put up with me and who helped inspire various elements within this.


End file.
